Accidental Demon Slayers: Experiments in Darkness pt. 7

The meeting hadn’t lasted much longer after that.  Finally Dr. Duguard had left us in the hands of Elizabeth.  I had to remind myself that this meek, shy creature in front of me wasn’t just some tour guide.  She was a part of this.  Also, the more I watched her, the more I sensed that something wasn’t quite right about her.  It was in the occasional glances she gave us when she thought no one was looking, or the occasional way I could catch her biting her tongue before speaking.

She was hiding something.

We were heading down a long hallway.  Just like everything else, the walls, floor and ceiling were a bright, almost glowing white.  There were no seams at all.  The whole structure just seemed to be one, solid piece.

“I apologize for the way Dr. Duguard acts.  She’s not the most sociable person.”  Elizabeth kept her head down, focusing on the chart she had clutched in her hands.  “This all... Well, we never intended for any of this to happen.”

“You intentionally tested an unstable, unknown and now possibly supernatural virus on human subjects.”  Kurt couldn’t even bring himself to look at the young doctor.  “Your intentions seem pretty obvious.”

The words made Elizabeth flinch.  Her eyes flickered towards Kurt, and for a brief moment her face seemed to flash with rage.

“So I take it these creatures are violent?”  I tried my best to keep my tone professional.  It wasn’t easy.

“Extremely.  Those who don’t change when exposed to the virus are usually attacked and killed by those who are.”  She stumbled over her words.

“Possessed.”  Ashtyn’s voice dripped with disdain.  “These people are possessed, and by something very powerful.”

“How do you know?”  Elizabeth’s voice quaked as she glanced at Ashtyn.

“These creatures are no longer human, sweetheart.  Whatever force is taking them over not only controls their body, it completely rewrites their DNA. That’s pretty fucking powerful.”  Ashtyn’s eyes were shooting daggers at the young doctor.

“So, mind telling us how Dr. Duguard’s brother managed to get infected?  I don’t think many people would sign family members up for trial runs of this stuff.”  I kept my tone casual.  I made sure my arms were at my side, relaxed.  I wouldn’t get any info if I kept up this defensive attitude.

“It was an accident.”  Elizabeth’s eyes drifted back to her chart.  “He, Andrew, was also a researcher here.  He was one of the leads on this particular study.  There was a leak in one of the containers, and he became exposed.”

I could see tears welling up in Elizabeth’s eyes.  She clutched her chart just a little tighter as she spoke.

“By the time we arrived to the lab he had already killed two of his assistants, and one of his fellow doctors.  His best friend.  He... dismembered them.”  The tears began to spill down her cheeks.  “I had never seen anything like that.  Most of my research was in pharmaceuticals.  The worst thing we ever got was an occasional heart attack or pussy rash.  This...”

Her hand moved to her mouth in an attempt to muffle her sobs. It was at that moment that I saw the ring on her finger.  A gold band with a simple, shimmering stone.
 
“Dr. Malone,”  I gently placed my hand on her shoulder, “how did you become involved with this project?”

We stopped walking.  Elizabeth was shaking, the sobs now uncontrollable.  Even Ashtyn and Kurt had softened their body language.

“Andrew... brought me... in.”  Her words were choked off by her crying.  “He was my... he was my...”

I glanced back at the ring.  Was that there when she came to visit us in the office?  The way she held her hand made it clear that she wanted us to see it.  Again my bullshit meter was going off.  Still, I needed to play it cool.  It was too early to call her out.  We didn’t know enough about what we were about to face, and I didn’t want to freeze out our only source of information.

“We will do everything we can to bring him back to you.  I promise.”  My hand gently squeezed her shoulder. I decided to lay it on a little less thick then she was.  

I glanced at Ashtyn, then to Kurt.  I could see the doubt in both of their eyes.

I tried to signal them to keep playing along.  

“So,” Ashtyn broke the silence first.  Her voice was considerably more welcoming.  “Where exactly are we headed?”

“Your quarters.”  Elizabeth began to wipe the tears from her eyes.  “My orders are to get you settled in while we set a viewing area for Andre... for the subject.”

Quarters?  What the hell was she talking about?

As if reading my thoughts, she spoke.  “It was in the contracts.  While you are working with us, you will be staying on the premises.  It’s standard protocol.  For security purposes.”  As she collected herself her voice returned to the meek, but professional tone from before.

“Guess we should have read the fine print.”  Ashytn couldn’t hide her annoyance.

So we were trapped in this building with a bunch of monsters.  Some human, and some... not so human.

They entered a hallway lined with thick, metal doors.  Painted on each door was a number.

“You and Kurt will be in room 3.”  Elizabeth pointed down the hall.  “Ashtyn, you’ll be in room 7.”

“I don’t have any of my stuff...”  Ashtyn’s annoyance was creeping back into her voice.

“We’ve supplied uniforms, toiletries and research materials for you.”  Any trace of humanity that Elizabeth had shown before was gone, now replaced by the same cold, business like tone her boss had.  “After you’ve had time to settle in I’ll return to take you to the viewing room.”

“Thanks.”  Kurt’s voice was devoid of emotion.

At least it wasn’t my fault he was stuck here.  They had thrown him into this madhouse before I even had the chance.

With a slight bow Elizabeth turned and left.

“So, what other surprises are they going to throw at us?”  I rubbed my temple, hoping to ease the tension building in my head.

“It was in the contract.”  Kurt turned and headed towards our room.  “I’m not exactly surprised, to be honest.  The way this place is run...”

“We’ll probably be lucky to ever get out of here.”  Ashtyn shook her head, and headed into her room.

I could feel a chill run up my spine at the sound of those words.  The further we got tangled up in this case, the more things just seemed to feel off.

Still, Juktha had told me that this was where we needed to be.  I needed to trust her on this one.  She has her reasons, even if I don’t always understand them.  

Accidental Demon Slayers: Experiments in Darkness pt. 6

We were led into a small viewing room.  The lights were already dimmed, and the projector cast a bright white glow onto the screen on the far end.  Set up in front of the screen were three chairs.  Dr. Duguard motioned for us to take a seat, then settled down next to the projector controls.

The whole time Elizabeth never left her side.

“While the majority of the research done at Yamada Labs is medical, we do, on occasion, take on some more... historical projects.”  Dr. Duguard’s voice was flat, clinical.  “One such project was examining a set of remains found at a construction site on the south side of Chicago.”

She clicked a button, and a video began to play on the screen in front of us.

As the grainy image came into focus I heard Ashtyn gasp.

“What... what is that?”  Her voice was a harsh whisper.

“We were hoping you could tell us.”  Dr. Duguard never took her eyes off the image on the screen.

The video was rough, but the figure, still partially buried, was clear enough to make out.  The body was oddly shaped.  The torso was long, the shoulders broad.  The creature’s arms seemed to come to sharp points instead of hands.  The face had no eyes.  Just a wide, toothy mouth, stretched open in what I could only describe as a painful scream.

“What do you think it is, Doctor?”  I glanced over my shoulder at Dr. Duguard and Elizabeth.

“At first we thought it was a fossilized reptile, maybe even something prehistoric.  Upon further testing though we found no reptilian DNA.” She hit another button, and the image on the screen froze. “To be honest, the chemical make up of this creature is unlike anything we have ever seen before.  Except for one thing...”

“Which was?”  I looked back at the screen.

“There were traces of human DNA in the samples.”  Nomi’s voice grew tighter.  She was heading into an area outside of her comfort zone.  “The human DNA was corrupted, though.  It seems that this creature was not born, but created through exposure.”

“Or possession.”  Ashtyn’s eyes were glued to the screen.

“Excuse me?”  Dr. Duguard’s voice seemed to drip with scorn at the word possession.

“Possession is not just the act of a spirit taking control of another host.  It’s the spirit melding itself with the host.  They become one being.”  Ashtyn mimicked the doctor’s flat tone.  “In most cases the host body is left only mildly changed.  Increased flexibility, dehydration of the skin, discoloration of the eyes.  The host still appears to be human.  This... This is something more extreme.”

“Dr. Duguard, why exactly did you contact us?  This thing is obviously dead.  We specialize in creatures that are a bit more lively.”  I motioned my hand towards the frozen image on the screen.

She clicked another button.  The video changed.  The camera was in a lab now, and the creature was laid out on a sterile, metal table.  Three researches, clad in scrubs and face masks, moved around the body.  I could see their mouths moving under the face masks, but it was obvious the audio had been removed.

One of the researchers held a bone saw in their hands.  I could see the blade spinning as it was lowered towards the twisted, horrifying monster on the table.

The second the blade touched the creatures skin, a cloud of dust exploded into the air.  Not even the face masks seemed to be able to keep the researchers from inhaling it.

The one standing closest to the camera, a young man from the looks of it, began to shake.  Before my very eyes I saw his body begin to change.

It appeared that his bones were breaking, snapping under the skin.  His eyes seemed to vanish from his face as his flesh swallowed them. His teeth fell from his mouth as fangs painfully pushed themselves through his gums.  The change seemed to happen within a matter of minutes.

The video paused.

“Lively enough for you?”  Dr. Duguard was smiling.

“An airborne possession?”  Kurt looked horrified.  “This lab has control over a demonic super virus?”

“Yes.”  Dr. Duguard tapped a button, and the lights in the room came on.  “Obviously, this virus has major potential for us.  The army would kill for something this potent.  Only problem is, there is no controlling it, or the creatures it creates.”

“So you want us to... what?  Find a way to turn this... stuff into the ultimate weapon?”  I could feel my rage growing.  This was not what I signed up for.

“Hardly.”  Dr. Duguard looked annoyed.

“We... we want to reverse it.”  Elizabeth’s voice barely registered.  Hell, I had almost forgotten she was in the room.

“Dr. Malone.”  Dr. Duguard sent her a withering stare.

“Is that true?”  Ashtyn was on her feet, arms crossed.  She was on the defensive.

“Yes.”  Dr. Duguard sighed.  “This... this was not the last infection.  We attempted a few more... tests.”

“Human?”  Kurt was pitch white.

“Yes.”  Dr. Duguard held up her hand, silencing us before we could argue with her.  “Illegally, I know.  Usually something of this caliber can bend the law, but... our tests backfired.  This virus is extremely contagious, and the creatures it creates are highly volatile, and very unstable.  Most have died within a week of infection.  A few survived longer.  While they are alive sedation works for a short period, but once the effects wear off, well...”

“Then why not just destroy them all and brush it under the rug?”  I locked eyes with Dr. Duguard.  “Why bring in civilians to handle your mess?”

I could see the good doctor’s teeth grinding.  I had struck a nerve.

“One of those... tests... was my brother.”  For the first time her voice shook.  “So, as you can see, I have some personal interest in this case.”

Accidental Demon Slayers: Experiments in Darkness pt. 5

Yamada Labs was exactly as I expected.  I had passed the building several times, but until today I had never been inside.  The lobby was very sterile, and very white.  The surfaces were all smooth and polished, and even the couch Ashtyn and I had been led to was a hard, plastic like surface.  When I sat down I had to catch myself from sliding off it.

“Non-porous surfaces ensure that contamination is limited and contained.” The young woman who had guided us in from the security gate smiled as she spoke.  Her smile was as plastic as the furniture, and about as comforting.  “Dr. Duguard will be with you shortly.”

Quickly the young woman walked away from us, vanishing into one of the sliding glass doors that seemed to line the entire lobby.

Ashtyn was taking everything in, her eyes wide.  “This place looks like something out of a movie.  I mean it’s all so... cliche.”

I nodded my head.  “We better work on this one fast.  All this... sterility might drive me crazy.  This whole place just seems to lack life.”

The more I looked around, the more I realized I was right.  There were no plants anywhere.  There were hardly any people, even.  The few I did see just rushed from one sliding glass door to the next.  If two people crossed paths they never stopped to talk.  They acted like complete robots.  

The glass doors directly across from us slid open, and a woman stepped out.  To her right was Elizabeth Malone, looking as shy as ever, and to her left I was shocked to see Kurt.  As the woman got closer I could see that her name tag read “Dr. Nomi Duguard”.

“That’s her?”  Ashytn leaned in close, and did her best to whisper in my ear.  In a room with all hard surfaces everything seemed to echo, though.

I couldn’t believe it either.  Dr. Duguard looked more like a pin up then a scientist.  While she had on the requisite white coat, her clothing underneath was tight, fighting her curves perfectly.  Her top was low cut, exposing her ample cleavage, and her skirt was short enough to show off a great deal of her long legs.

“Hello, I’m Dr. Nomi Duguard.”  She stopped in front of us, and held out her hand.  “I’m so glad you could come and see us today.”

I stood, taking her hand in mine and giving it a firm shake.  “It’s my pleasure.  It’s not every day we have someone from the world of science take an interest in our field.”
“Yes, well... these aren’t every day situations.”  Dr. Duguard glanced back towards Elizabeth.  “I assume that the girl who brought you in showed you your contracts?”

“She did.”  I had read it over quickly, but everything in there was exactly what I had expected.  Which really meant that it was loaded with so much small print I could barely read the majority of it.

“No issues, I hope.”  She had the same forced smile that seemed to be part of the company uniform.

“None at all.”  I handed her my signed contract.  Ashtyn did the same.

“Wonderful, then follow me.”  Without another word Dr. Duguard turned, heading towards a set of doors on the other side of the room.

I trailed behind, and Kurt fell in next to me.

“What are you doing here?  I thought they would never okay you working with us.” I leaned in close, hoping that the others couldn’t hear us.

“Apparently, because of our relationship I’m the perfect company representative for your team.”  Kurt just shrugged.

“What does that mean exactly?”  I didn’t like those words.  ‘Company representative’ just sounded off to me.

“It means I report back to them.”  Kurt gave me a sly smile.  “I’m a double agent, sweetie.  Sorry.”

I glanced around the lobby.  No one was watching us.  I gave him a quick kiss on the lips, and mouthed the words “I love you” to him.

He mouthed them back.  

As we walked through the sliding glass doors I could feel my stomach begin to knot.  Part of me felt like a plaque reading “abandon all hope, ye who enter here” should have been hung above the door.  Instinctively I reached out, taking Kurt’s hand in my own.

For a brief moment I saw Elizabeth look back at us.  When she saw our clasped hands I could swear I saw her scowl.

That girl was hiding something.  I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what it was.  

Accidental Demon Slayers: Experiments in Darkness pt. 4

Before heading over to Yamada Labs I decided to stop off at the office and get a few things settled before starting the new case.  Even during our down time we had paperwork to complete.

Who knew that Demon Slayers would have to fill out so many forms?

As I approached my office I froze.  I could sense her before I even walked through the door.

“You took a new job?  And you didn’t even call me?”  Brittany sat on the edge of my desk, her arms crossed over her ample chest.  Her face was an almost comical scrunch of anger and frustration.

I ignored the anger in her voice, and made my way to desk, brushing past her to get to my computer.  “Clare hasn’t cleared you for field work.”

“Oh please, I know this shit backwards and forwards.  I mean, hell, I am a fricken demon!”  She turned, slamming her hands down on my desk.  “Come on!  I can handle this stuff.”

“The demons, yes.  The human aspect, not so much.”  I began sorting through the papers that Brittany had managed to scatter all over my desktop.

“What are you talking about?”  She leaned in close, her face inches from mine.  “I’m fucking great with people.”

“You are great at scaring people.” I looked her square in the eye.  “If I recall, you were the one who told a client during an interview, and I quote ‘stop being such a pussy and deal with it yourself.’ End quote.”

“He had a demonic lawn gnome infestation!  Like that was even worth our time.”  She stood up straight, her hands on her hips.

“Those lawn gnomes had eaten his dog and his neighbor.” I kept my voice steady and calm.  “So yes, it was worth our time.”

She stomped her foot hard, and her face was starting to grow red.  I was about to have a she-demon throw a toddler level temper tantrum in my office.  This was not how I wanted to start my day.

I took a deep breath.  “Listen, while Ashtyn and I are in the field we need you to man the office.  If we need you, we will call you in, okay?”  I was fighting my inner frustration, and was doing my best to sound calm and civil.  “I just can’t go over Clare’s head on this one.  I’m sorry.”

“So I get to play desk jockey while you and Ashtyn have all the fun?”  With one sweep Brittany flung all my papers off my desk.  “Great.”

“Well...”  I looked at her, doing my best not to smile. “I was trying to get those sorted for you.  That,” I pointed to the mess on the floor, “is your project for the week.  Have fun piecing it back together.”

I stood up and headed towards the door.

“Wait... what?”  Brittany looked from the papers, then to me, then back again.  “That’s not fair!  You should have told me!”

I stopped in the doorway, turning to her.  “When you get that temper under control, Clare will okay you for field work.  Until then...  Well, think of it as a test of character.  Use this to grow, Brittany, so you can be the best you can be.”  I gave her a thumbs up and winked.

She chucked a leather bound spell book at my head.  Luckily I had already closed the door by the time she threw it, but I could hear the hardy thud of the thick volume as it bounced off the wooden door.

I knew I was being hard on her, but honestly, she had a lot to learn.  This wasn’t all just big fights and bloody battles.  It was dealing with very human, very scared people who were stuck in something they had no idea how to deal with.

Hell, I wasn’t sure I even knew how to deal with it all.  I just had to remind myself that I could handle this, that I had faced foes much stronger, and much deadlier then anything I could possibly be facing at Yamada Labs.

Juktha, I hope we’re right.

Accidental Demon Slayers: Alternate Lives *Update*

So, writing continues on the second game, but the true ending is almost complete.  After that only one more path needs to be written, and then writing will be complete!  YAY!

So, as the I chug along on the game things continue to change.  Namely, this game will have a limited number of endings (as of right now, I believe there are only four planned.)  The reason for this is simple.  It's what the story dictates.  I know people prefer a ton of endings, but I would rather keep the number of endings limited, and be very happy with them, then jam pack the game with endings, and be disappointed with the majority of them.

That being said, there are still a good deal of choices to be made in the game.  All of them change how the main story is told, with most of them effecting the final outcome of the game.

Also, just to clarify, this game is a one-off, side story that really is there to wrap up Joanna's storyline.  It also is a chance to explore a few characters who didn't get too much focus in the first game.

Bobby and the Demon Slayers crew DO NOT show up in the game. At least not right now, and if they do, it will be a small cameo. That is why I am writing the serial series "Experiments in Darkness".  That particular story was an idea that I had for a game, but realized that the story is too linear, and the Visual Novel format was not the ideal format for that particular story.

SO!  With that all said, things are still moving on Alternate Lives, and the games new stats are up on it's page.  Go check them out, continue to read the serial, and I hope, keep enjoying the ever insane world of Accidental Demon Slayers!

Accidental Demon Slayers: Experiments in Darkness pt. 3

That all powerful goddess in my head decided that she needed to put her two cents in on the matter.

She and I have never communicated normally.  Sometimes she’s just a voice in my head, guiding me where I need to go.  Sometimes she can show herself, depending on where we are.  Usually, though, she just communicates emotionally.  It’s kind of like that gut feeling, the one you know you should follow.

This time she decided she wanted to have a little sit down with me in a place where I couldn’t get away.

In my dreams.

The room she had designed for herself was fairly plain, but comfortable.  The space was bathed in warm, orange light, and the floor was covered in  red and brown pillows.

Juktha, my own personal inner goddess, sat cross legged on one of the pillows, her hands resting in her lap.

I stood in the doorway, slightly confused that someone had managed to redecorate the inside of my brain.

“You didn’t think you would start this journey without talking to me, did you?”  She smiled and motioned for me to sit across from her.

“I don’t know.  You’ve been pretty quiet recently.”  I plopped down across from her, and was surprised that I could actually feel myself landing on the plush surface of a large, round pillow.

“I speak when I need to.  Goddesses aren’t much for wasting words.”  She watched me, her eyes calm and welcoming.

“I take it you have a bad feeling about this particular case.”  I took a deep breath, and the smell of warm vanilla filled my nostrils.  It was hard to be worried when everything around me was forcing me to be relaxed.

“I know you do.”  Her smile faded.  “You need to have confidence that we can face this together.”

“I guess I can never really let go of doubt.”  I let out a half laugh.  “I know, it’s very human of me.”

“Yet you forget that you aren’t human.  Not entirely.  I do not just reside in you, I am you.  Down to your genetics.  Though we are both separate entities, we are joined.  By fate, by chance and by choice.”  She reached out, her hand resting on mine.  “We both chose this path because we are two pieces that were made to fit together, to fight together.”

Her words made me feel better.  Sometimes it’s nice to have your own personal Yoda.

“What about Kurt?  He works for that company.  A company, I don’t really trust.  The last time I put him in danger, and I wasn’t even trying to involve him.”  I could feel a lump in my throat growing.  The idea of every intentionally putting Kurt into harm’s way terrified me.  “This time he’s involved whether I like it or not.”

“He just as much a part of you as I am.” She gave my hand a gentle squeeze. “Your instincts are telling you to protect him for a reason.”

“I just wish I knew what that reason was.”  My sense of calm was fading.

“Sometimes someone is safest when they are close to you.”  She stood.  “Take those words as you will.”

“Do you have any idea what we are going to face?  Do you see anything past what I know?”  I wasn’t proud of the pleading sound in my voice, but the uncertainty was driving me nuts.

“The important thing is, we can handle it.”  She leaned forward and kissed my forehead gently.  “Now, it’s time for you to wake up.”

I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again I was lying in bed, my head resting on Kurt’s chest.  I could see sunlight breaking through the partially closed drapes.

I gave him a gentle squeeze and took a deep breath.  I wasn’t positive, but I swear I could still smell the faint aroma of vanilla in the room.

I just had to remind myself that this is where I needed to be.  This is what I needed to be doing.  No matter what my fears my tell me, the truth was that this was a path that only I could follow.

Accidental Demon Slayers: Experiments in Darkness pt. 2

“So, do you have any idea why my services would be needed at your work?”  I sat across the kitchen table from Kurt.  My dinner plate sat untouched in front of me.  I hadn’t been able to shake my uneasy feeling since leaving the office.

“What are you talking about?” Kurt looked at me completely confused.  “Someone from Yamada hired you?”

“A young woman, Elizabeth Malone, came in today.  Said something in the lab resulted in creating something... well, it created something that they feel I would be more inclined to handle.”

“Sweetie, I’m in the business offices all day.  I hardly ever have anything to do with the labs.  They keep those places locked up tight.”  He took a bite of his dinner, seeming completely unaffected by the current topic of conversation.  “Everything there is on a need to know basis.”

“So you have no idea what I’m going to be dealing with?”  I pushed a piece of broccoli around my plate, my mind still miles away from my meal.

“None.”  Kurt sat back, giving me that look I knew too well.  The worried look that made me question why I was even in this stupid business in the first place.  “I will admit, I’m curious about what they’re doing down there, but for now, it’s all out of my clearance.”

“Curious?”  I leaned forward.  “You know...”

“Don’t even think about it.”  Kurt looked away from me, again putting his focus on finishing his food.

“Wouldn’t you like to see what they were working on?.”  I smiled.  It was the first smile since I had left the office.  “You could see stuff so secret that even the President would probably be denied access.”

“I don’t know.  Bad things tend to happen when I get involved with your work.”  He still wouldn’t look at me.

“Please!  Clare is out of town, and Brittany isn’t even close to being ready to handle an actual team mission.”  I did my best to pout.  I’m pretty sure I just looked ridiculous, but it seemed to work.

He glanced up at me.  “They would never okay it. No matter how adorable you try and make yourself look.”

“Of course.”

“Now stop pouting.  You look like you’re having a stroke.”  His serious facade faded for one brief moment and a swear I saw him crack a smile.

For a brief moment I forgot about the unknown.  I forgot about all the questions that were running through my head.  At that moment my mind was completely in the moment.

For the rest of dinner I pushed the new job out of my head.  The unknown and unexpected meant that moments like this could be in short supply for the foreseeable future.  It was best to just enjoy dinner, and enjoy time with the most important person to me in the whole wide world.

Accidental Demon Slayers: Experiments In Darkness pt. 1

*** Warning: Accidental Demon Slayers: Experiments in Darkness is intended for mature readers, and will contain adult language, extreme violence and sexual situations, and is intended for mature audiences.  Reader discretion is advised.***

The lab door was locked.  Why was it locked?  It was never supposed to be locked!  The man’s mind raced as he tried to figure out what to do.  Normally he could think quickly, but right now fear was clouding his every action.

The creature watched him from the shadows.  The man could hear the deep, wheezing breath of that thing as it stalked him.  Even without eyes he was sure it was watching him, enjoying the site of seeing such a once great man running around like a fool.

“Let me out of here!”  The man beat his fists on the heavy steel doors.  “It’ll kill me!  It’ll...”

He suddenly felt hot breath on the back of his neck.

He didn’t know how something so huge could move so fast, but the creature had managed to cross the lab without him even noticing.

The creature... That was what it was now.  It no longer resembled his friend, his partner in crime.  The man that had once been his closest friend was now something else.  Something vile and bloodthirsty.

The man closed his eyes. He knew what was coming next.  No amount of screaming or pounding could change his fate.

Before the man could even utter another sound, the creature struck.

The man’s head was removed from his neck in one clean swipe.  Blood erupted from the perfectly smooth incision like a geyser.

He could see his body standing there, spurting precious blood out into the air.  For a brief moment he was able to watch himself die, and then... darkness.

***

The office had been quiet for most of the day, and I was starting to think that maybe the local demon population had taken a vacation.

I wouldn’t have minded.

My last little demon slaying adventure had taken a lot out of me, not to mention it nearly killed most of my friends, and resulted in my boyfriend getting kidnapped by an evil goddess hell bent on destroying the world.  So, a little down time was welcome.

“Dear God!  Can something, anything, please happen!” Ashtyn whirled her chair around to face me, nearly knocking her computer off her desk.

“I thought the world not being in jeopardy was a good thing.”  I leaned back, stretching.  “Peace and quiet just means we don’t have to worry about another possible apocalypse.”

“I don’t care.”  She leaned forward, her eyes shooting death rays at me. “I didn’t sign up for this job just to do paperwork.  I signed up for the action, the adventure, the... the...”

“Tentacles?” I shuddered at the word.  Tentacles seemed to like me about as much as I disliked them.

“Sure!  Right now I would even take tentacles.” She stood up from her chair and started pacing around the office.  “I would take some attempted demon violation over paperwork any day.”

“Speak for yourself.”  I had already had my fair share of run ins with tentacled demons, and I wasn’t missing them.

There was a timid knock at our office door.

“Come in!” Ashtyn plopped back down in her chair.

The door opened and a young woman entered.  She had long brown hair, done up in a braid that trailed down her back, and her pale, freckled face sported a very large pair of coke bottle glasses.  Her clothes were plain and conservative, and she had a small, black purse clutched in her hands.  The poor thing looked like she was about to dart out of the office at the slightest noise.

“Is... Is... This Demon Slayers Inc.?”  She took one step into the office, but never looked up at Ashtyn or I.

“Yep.”  I sat up straight, trying my best to look professional.  “How can we help you?”

Normally Clare handled the new business, but this week she was stuck in a conference on Demonology and Exorcism Techniques.  So, it was my turn to play boss.

“I think I may have a problem.”  She looked up at me, her big brown eyes seemed rimmed with tears and ready to burst.

“What kind?  Demons, poltergeists, cultists?  We have a special this week on gnomes and other assorted pint sized terrors.”  Ashtyn was practically bouncing as she spoke.

“It’s... well, I don’t know what it is.”  The woman glanced at Ashtyn.  “Are all those things real?”

“You would be surprised.”  I eyed Ashtyn, trying my best to signal her to calm down.  “Why don’t you have a seat Miss...”

She looked at me, “Elizabeth.  Doctor Elizabeth Malone.”  She sat down, smoothing out her ankle length skirt as she did.  Her fingers fumbled with her purse.

Something had this poor girl spooked.

“So, what exactly is your problem?”  I kept my voice soft, calm.

“I... I work at Yamada Labs. Are you familiar with us?”  She still couldn’t bring herself to look at me directly.

My heart seemed to skip a beat.  Yamada Labs?  Kurt had been working in their IT department for the past three months.  If something had been going on there he would have told me, right?

“Yes, I have an idea of what goes on there.” I did my best not to let my growing sense of dread show.

“I can’t really discuss what exactly our experiments are, but I was cleared to tell you that one of our experiments may have resulted in something more along your lines of expertise.”  She looked up finally, giving me a half smile.  “If you take the job I would be able to fill you in on the rest of the details.”

“Well, that isn’t much to...”  I didn’t get a chance to finish my sentence.

“We’ll take it!”  Ashtyn was back on her feet, her fist thrust into the air.  “Ma’am, whatever your supernatural problem, Demon Slayers Inc. will solve it.”

“Really?”  For once the young woman seemed to relax.  “Oh thank you!”

She reached into her purse, and pulled out a business card.  As she reached over my desk to hand it to me, I saw something odd in her eyes.  There was a shift, a glimmer of something that made me uncomfortable.

“Just be at this address tomorrow at ten.  My boss, Dr. Duguard, will fill you in on the details.”  She stood up straight, closing her purse.  “Thank you so much.  You won’t regret this.  I promise!”

Part of me already did.

Accidental Demon Slayers: Clare and the Ghost Hunter pt. 4

Clare sat on her bed, listening to the sound of Max in the shower.  She knew it had been stupid to take someone so inexperienced into something she had known would have been dangerous, but she couldn't help herself.  She wanted to show off.  

Her training was always about keeping out of sight, blending in.  Sometimes, though, it felt nice to be the strongest person in the room.  

The water turned off, and a few seconds later Max stepped out of the bathroom, a towel around his waist.  His hair was wet, and hung limply, and water still seemed to shimmer off his body.  

"Guess you proved me wrong."  He gave her a weak smile.  

"Well, at least now you can say, without question, that the supernatural exists." Clare leaned back, unable to take her eyes off of him.  

Yes, he was a fake and a fraud, but he was also hot, and it had been a while.  A long while.  

"You handled yourself pretty well."  Clare stood, walking towards Max.  "At least you didn't get yourself killed."  

"Like you would have let that happen."  He moved forward, their bodies centimeters apart.  "I have never seen someone so in control."  

"That creature was weak.  I knew going in that she wasn't really a threat." She smiled.  "I just thought I would have a little fun before taking her out." 

"That's your idea of fun?" Max looked slightly horrified. 

"It's not my ONLY idea of fun, though." Clare's voice was a soft rumble. 

She let her lips brush against his.  He smelled sweet and clean.  His skin was still slick and smooth from the shower.  Her fingers traced the muscles in his arms, his shoulders, down his chest, down and down... 

"I thought you didn't like guys like me."  Max's voice was a breathy whisper.  

"Who said I liked you?"  Clare kissed him, pulling his towel away, and tossing it in the corner.  

***

The next morning, as Clare made her way towards the first lecture of the morning, she had to admit, she had a little extra skip in her step.  Sure, she had acted on impulse, but last night was proof positive that sometimes you just needed to give into your base instincts.  

"Hey, don't you look relaxed." Max came running up to her.  

She took a little pride in the slight limp he had that day.  

"Don't get cocky." Clare gave Max a slight nudge.  

"So, could we... I don't know, maybe do that again?" Max started to blush.  

"Which part?" Clare gave him a sly smile.  

"You mean there's more to the first part?"  He looked a little shocked.  

"Plenty more.  This is a hotel, Max.  These places are loaded with demonic and supernatural energy.  They didn't hire me to just take out some low level succubus."  She gave him a pat on the shoulder.  "This is going to be an interesting two weeks."  

He may be a fraud, thought Clare, but he's at least fun. 

 The End... For Now... 

*Accidental Demon Slayers Updates*

So, Clare and the Ghost Hunter will be wrapping up next week.  Following that is a longer serial, Experiments in Darkness.  Since Experiments is already proving to be MUCH longer then Ghost Hunter, the posting schedule will be different.  Instead of posting once a week on Thursdays, the new serial will post twice a week, once on Monday, and once on Friday.

Now, for the game updates.  Alternate Lives is still happening, and I'm chugging along on the script.  I'm not close enough to give a for sure release date, but right now it is looking like second quarter of 2014.  Why is it taking so long?  Well... real life tends to make working on the game difficult at times.  So, when there is more to report, I will fill you in!

Accidental Demon Slayers: Clare and the Ghost Hunter pt. 3

The darkness surrounded her completely.  As far as her eyes were concerned she was in a complete void.  Her other senses had to take over.  Her sense of smell, her sense of touch and her hearing all had to be on high alert.  

The thrill of the impending fight made her heart race.  Even after all these years, the promise of a fight still excited her.  

"Aren't you handsome."  The voice was feminine, smooth.  It traveled through the void like silk.  "I'm so glad you came to visit me.  It's so lonely here."  

Clare listened closely, trying to find the location of the woman's voice.  It was ahead of her and fairly close.  Slowly Clare stepped forward, testing the ground with the toe of her pumps before shifting her weight.  The last thing she needed to do was fall through the floor and break her legs.  

"Pl... Please..." Max's voice was shaking, "I just came up here on a dare.  I... I..."  

"Oh, but this is destiny, don't you see? "  The woman's voice seemed to purr.  "You were made for me... Max."  When she spoke his name, the woman's voice seemed to drip with menace.  

Clare was getting closer.  She could sense the heat and fear that seemed to drift through the thick, inky air.  

A small glimmer of light seemed to break through the darkness.  Clare could barely make out what she was seeing, but she knew that whatever was glowing was where she needed to be.  

As she got closer she could make out the outline of a charred doorway.  Clare took a deep breath, giving her eyes time to adjust to the light.  

"Here we go."  She braced herself and stepped into the room.  

The room itself was lit in warm, seductive lighting.  The walls seemed untouched by the fires that had ravaged the rest of the wing.  They were covered in rich, red velvet and gold.  The furniture was all brown leather, and in perfect condition.  At the back of the room was a large, round, bed.  The bed was surrounded by white, opaque drapes.  

"Why are you fighting me?"  The voice was soft, playful.  "Don't you think I'm beautiful Max?"  

Clare moved quickly towards the bed, pulling the drapes open.  

Max was lying on the bed, his eyes wide with fear, and his shirt ripped open.  A ghostly pale hand was slowly twirling the light patch of hair of Max's chest.  That hand was attached to a woman, or at least something that appeared to be at least 50% woman. 

The creature's upper half was almost stunning.  Her arms were long and slender, her face a perfect, pale pixie.  Her long black hair was perfectly straight and hung down, cover her bare breasts.  Her bangs cut in a straight line just over her long lashed eyes.  Her skin was almost perfectly white, but her lips were a stunning shade of bright red, and her long nails seemed to glint silver in the candlelight.   

Clare's eyes scanned lower, and farther down she got the more the woman's beauty faded.  Her lower half was a mess of black, oozing tentacles that seemed to writhe and pulse in anticipation.  Some of them were flicking at Max's body, wrapping around his legs and arms.  One trailed along his cheek, causing him to flinch in terror.  

Clare had to hold back a laugh at the site.  Max was terrified, cowering as the succubus swooned over him.   

"Well, what do we have here?"  Clare smirked.  "Succubus, right?"  

"Bingo." The woman smiled. Her smile quickly faded, "and I don't do chicks."  Her voice was a vicious hiss.  

The succubus tossed Max aside, flinging him off the bed, and flung herself at Clare.  Clare countered, going into a spin kick that hit the creature square in the chest, hurling her back at the bed. 

"Too bad.  You're missing out."  Clare sunk back into a defense pose as the succubus hissed at her.  

"Bitch!"  She launched herself again, her tentacles working like springs, sending her flying int the air.  Her long, silver nails slashed for Clare's face.  

Clare bobbed and weaved, doing her best to avoid the razor sharp claws.  This creature was out of practice, and the fire had taken away most of her strength.  That much was obvious to Clare.  It also made sense why all the people who had gone insane while staying in this wing were straight men.  This wing was her source of food, and of power.  She had attached herself here, praying on weak willed men for years.

Now that the wing was shut down, she had lost her food supply, and the fire had ensured that her link to this world was near destroyed. This creature was pitiful.  

Max was watching the fight, his jaw hanging open, his eyes wide.  Clare could tell from the faint smell of urine in the air that he was terrified.  

"I think I've scared him long enough." Clare reached behind her, grabbing a chair, and snapping off one of the legs.  

"I just want to feed!"  The creature looked crazed.  Her pupils were pin pricks.  Spit foamed at the corners of her mouth.  "Just let me feed!"  

"Feed on this."  Clare thrust the chair leg forward, jamming it into the succubus's mouth, and out the back of her head.  The sharp, splintered wood was burst through the creature's skull, spraying the room in a thick cover of black gore. 

The creature began to thrash, her tentacles whipping at the air.  Then, she went limp, falling to the floor with a thud.  

As the life drained out of her, the room around Clare and Max began to fade, returning to it's old fashioned, burned out shell.  

Clare turned towards Max, smiling as big as could be.  "Well, at least you only pissed yourself."  

Accidental Demon Slayers: Clare and the Ghost Hunter pt. 2

Clare had sensed the presence the second she had stepped into the hotel.  

Every building has its ghosts and demons, especially hotels.  How many people had lived there, died there?  She had been trained since she was a child to recognize these beings, to feel them, to know them, to track them.  Her whole life she had been forced to maintain a connection with the other side, the dead and demonic.  

Clare led the way off the rickety old elevator, down the dark, crumbling hallway.  The north wing of the hotel was under construction.  Had been for a very long time.  

She had done her research before coming to the conference, and this particular wing had a very "fun" history.  A man  slaughtered his entire family, a bachelor party that ended in mass murder, a handful of suicides and one arsonist.  

That arsonist was the reason this wing was in the shape it was in.  He apparently had gone stark raving mad and had attempted, and almost succeeded, in taking the whole place down with him.  

According to the reports Clare had read, the man's last words were, "she made me do it."  The question was, who was she? 

"Watch your step.  The floor has been mostly finished, but there are still some weak spots."  Clare moved smoothly over the boards, side stepping the potential threats with ease.  

Max was having a considerably harder time.  His drunk feet were failing him, and he nearly fell through the floor several times.  "I'll give you this.  You know how to pick a place with atmosphere."  

Clare shook her head.  "That's all you think it is, don't you?  An aesthetic."  

"It makes for good TV.  I know that much."  He sped up his pace so that he was walking side by side with Clare.  "Throw in a night vision camera, maybe some screwy audio, and you have a ratings grabber."  

Clare stopped, her eyes trying to focus on the darkness in front of them.  

Most of the hallway was illuminated by the silver moonlight that streamed in through the glassless window panes, but the stretch of hallway in front of her was pitch black.  No light seemed to be able to penetrate it.  

"It's waiting for us."  Her voice was soft, a smile on her lips.  

"What?"  Max squinched his eyes, trying to make out something, anything, in the darkness.  Clare wasn't sure how, but it seemed that Max was getting drunker.  

"You know, I had another reason for bringing you along with me."  Clare glanced over at Max, smiling.  

"Why... what reason was that?" All the color seemed to drain from his face.  

"I needed bate." She gave him a hard pat on the shoulder.  

As if on cue a tentacle, black as the inky darkness that it came from, whipped out at them.  It wrapped itself around Max's waist, and with a high pitched yelp he was pulled into the darkness.  

Clare stretched her arms over her head, shook out the bit of alcohol that was trying to cloud her brain, and smiled.  

"Here comes the fun part." She laughed and dove head first into battle.  

Accidental Demon Slayers: Clare and the Ghost Hunter pt. 1

Clare sat at the bar, a beer in front of her.  As she glanced down the long, black surface she saw other women, their brightly colored and sweet drinks set in front of them.  She had never really been a fan of the sweet drinks. When she wanted a drink, she wanted a real drink.  Beer was her go to, but sometimes she would dabble in whiskey or rum.  If she was going to drink hard liquor she liked to feel it burn as it went down. 

She glanced down at the tight black dress she was wearing.  It was cut just low enough to attract attention.  Her black pumps weren't exactly the most practical of shoes, but she had her reasons for wearing them, and they made her legs look amazing.  As she looked at the other women she was glad to see that she really didn't stand out.  At least, she didn't look like she was trying to stand out.  She still managed to attract a few stares from a few of the men and women around her.  

She sighed, glancing back at her beer bottle. 

She had been at this conference for three days, and already she was growing bored.  Lectures and demonstrations got old, especially when it was stuff you already knew.  She had lived most of what these people just speculated about.  She had faced ghosts and demons.  She had stared world ending deities down, and she hadn't flinched.  

Most of the  people here would wet themselves if they had seen what she had seen.  

"Not much of a people person?"  A man slid into the seat next to her.  He was tall, handsome, with a chiseled face and broad shoulders.  His sandy brown hair seemed messy, but in a very intentional way.  "I've seen you down here every night this week, and not once have I seen you talk to anyone."  

"I don't really have much to talk to them about."  Clare kept her eyes on her drink.  

"I'm Max, Max West.  Maybe you've heard of me."  He smiled.  

She had.  She wasn't impressed.  Max West was 'The Ghost Hunter', a TV star who used the paranormal and supernatural to further his career.  He was a fake, a fraud and from a few rumors she had heard, a complete coward and cad.  

"I know who you are."  He leaned in close.  His breath smelled of cheap whiskey.  "You're a self proclaimed 'demon slayer'. Clare, right?  Everyone here is talking about you.  Think most of them are scared of you." 

"Then you should also know that I don't have time for men like you."  Clare finally looked at him, throwing an icy stare his way.  

"Men like me?" He leaned back in his chair, a smirk playing on his lips.  "Famous? Wealthy? Respected?" 

"Fake." Clare upturned her beer, finishing it off.  "You fool people into believing.  You take doctored video, photos, audio, and you show it to them like it's proof of life after death, and then you take their money.  You give people false hope, and honestly, you make me sick."  

Clare turned, getting up from her seat.  Max just watched her, slightly stunned.  

"How do you know it's fake?"  His voice hinted at growing anger.  

"Because I've seen the real thing."  Clare glanced at him over her shoulder.  "You couldn't handle the real thing."  

"I could."  He was on his feet now, following her.  His cool was quickly fading, and his booze born bluster was coming through.  "I mean, I have.  I'm a pro."  

Clare stopped, turning to him.  Her eyes were like daggers.  "You really think you could handle the real thing?"  

"Of course!"  He was starting to shout.  

"Then how about we pay the spirits of this hotel a little visit?"  A sly smile spread on Clare's lips.  

"This... This hotel?" He seemed to choke on his words.  

"Yep."  She crossed her arms.  "Chicken?"  

He shook his head.

"Good. Then follow me." She smiled, then turned, and walked out of the bar with Max in tow. 

Accidental Demon Slayers: The Serials

SO!  As I chug along (slower then I would like) on the next game, I've started writing little side stories for some of the main characters from the first Accidental Demon Slayers game.  Alternate Lives focuses on a whole different group of characters, and while I love writing for them, I have to admit, I missed the main cast from the first game.

All of this is to say, starting tomorrow I will be posting short, fun little serial stories featuring some of the main Accidental Demon Slayers characters.  These are just a way of me continuing to delve into the game world, and explore the characters.  It is also a way for you, the readers, to experience the characters in a less restrictive way.  (While I love the visual novel style, I am limited due to using stock character and background art, so the stories tend to be a little more conservative then I would like them to be).

The first story will feature one character I thought didn't get enough attention in the first game. Clare.  Her story, Clare and the Ghost Hunter, will be a four part story, with a new part being posted every Thursday morning.

So please, enjoy these stories while I continue to work away on Accidental Demon Slayers: Alternate Lives!

Little By Little...

Writing takes discipline.  It can be an amazing experience, but it is one that sometimes forces you to kick yourself in the ass and make deadlines for yourself.  It is a mixture of pleasure and pain.  The joy of making progress can always be dulled by the pain of trying to figure out where to go next.

Alternate Lives is still happening.  I'm inching along, working through the headaches and the story issues, but it is going slowly.  Still, it is going, and that's what matters.  Doing these projects alone can be a daunting task.  When I look at what I want to get done, and what I want the game to be, and then look at all the work that I need to make that happen, it can make me sometimes give up hope.  Luckily I have people in my life who push me forward.  Without them I wouldn't have finished my first game.  So, to them I say, thank you.

So, the latest updates to the game are on the Alternate Lives page. Obviously the game is still a ways out, and there is a lot that needs to be done on it, but it's getting closer.  I'll have a better idea for the official release date once the actual writing gets done.  The biggest challenge is getting the structure of the game in place.  Once that happens, the rest is fairly easy, although tedious.

Right now I have the complete opening done, which is a Joanna path.  I also have the Amanda path completed, and have gotten a chunk of the Marie path done as well.  The hope is to get the Marie path done this week, and finally start on the final two paths, a light and dark path.  I have no idea how many endings the game will have, but I'm aiming towards four full endings.  (Right now there are also 4 quick death endings... but those may change as well.)

The Blog is Not Dead!

Yes, I have been absent for a while.  Mainly it's because real life kind of took over, and as much as I would love to sit here and blog all about my recent experiences, sometimes you have to live it instead of reporting on it. 

Big changes mean that some things end up falling away, or to the side.  Work on my second game has been delayed (it is still happening though.  Just a lot slower then I would like), and the job hunt has turned into me deciding to go back to school. 

Life is never simple.  That is something I keep learning over and over again.  Just when things seem to be settling, everything suddenly gets turned on it's ear again, and there you are, wondering where the hell the road is leading.  This isn't always a bad thing, though.  Sometimes you need to get your world knocked around to see what's important. 

So, enough about my personal stuff.  On to the game updates. 

Alternate Lives is still happening.  The story is a lot larger then I had originally planned, and because of that more work is required to make all the different paths fit together nicely.  It is very easy to let these types of things overwhelm you when you are working on something alone, but just like everything else, you need to power through and get it done.  I just don't want to rush the game, and release something that I'm not happy with. 

Now, I do have a question dear readers.  If I was going to release the game through a pay site, like DLSite, how much would you be willing to pay?  If at all.  Alternate Lives will be released as a free game, but the next game I have planned may not be.  These games do cost some money, and I would like to try and cover some of the costs.  Let me know what you!

A Blast from the Past: YA Horror Pt. 2

So, during the 90's all three major horror franchises had short lived young adult novel series.  The one I'm going to talk about today is one of my favorites, and also probably one of the most insanely inappropriate book series ever marketed at young teens every.

THE TALES FROM CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE series.

The series consists of four books (Mother's Day, Jason's Curse, The Carnival and Road Trip), all written by Eric Morse. The first interesting thing about this series is that Jason never actually makes an appearance.  His mask does, but Jason never actually shows up.  No, instead his mask is the main star here, possessing people, and turning them into murderous behemoths tearing apart the local population.

And I do mean tearing apart.

These books are VIOLENT! The ending of The Carnival alone is probably one of the most graphically violent things I have ever read in a novel not written by Edward Lee.  Basically the whole carnival goes nuts after being infected with the evil from Crystal Lake, and everything starts killing people.  A tilt a whirl goes whirring into an electric fence, frying a girl's father in front of her very eyes (he was sitting with his cheap floozy of a mistress, so she didn't feel to bad).  Two preteens get deep fried by that same electric fence when they try and sneak into the carnival.  Heads are cleaved and chopped off.  Bodies are dismembered.  These books are the blood splattered gore fest that the films always wanted to be, but never could because of the MPAA.

The one frustrating thing about this series has nothing to do with the actual writing.  The books are actually very entertaining, and one or two of them are shockingly effective in creating interesting characters (one of the men possessed by Jason's mask has a truly heart breaking story that includes a history of child abuse.  I believe this was in Jason's Curse, but it has been a while).  No, what is frustrating about these books is how hard they are to find.  Unlike most YA series, these books are not cheap, with perfect copies going for $100+.  Even used copies will set you back for $15 to $20.

I read these books years ago, long before Amazon was the place to go for used books, and I remember having to search far and wide for copies of Mother's Day and The Carnival.  Back then, in my desperation, I made a good deal of money for those books.  Today, the price hasn't dropped much.

Still, for hardcore Friday the 13th Fans these books are must haves.  For anyone else, if you can find them cheap, grab them.  You won't be disappointed.

Next up will be a series within a series!  WOO HOO!

A Blast from the Past: YA Horror Pt. 1

Lately I have found a new addiction.  I have been devouring young adult horror novels from the late 80's and early 90's.  Any child who grew up in the 90's knows exactly what books I'm talking about.  They had flashy covers and generic names like "Summer School" or Sleepwalker" with cheesy tag lines attached.  They also had amazingly cool painted covers featuring "teens" in peril, or looking scared.  The titles were usually written in some brightly colored, jagged font.

Growing up the bookstores were filled with these "novels" (usually they clocked in at just around 200 pages).  When I was in grade school and junior high I devoured them.  Fear Street, Christopher Pike... I couldn't get enough.  Then I got older, and the books allure started to fade.  Then they started to vanish off of store shelves, quickly being replaced with giant, fantasy epics, or romantic horror stories.  These short, quick bits of horror goodness were being replaced with books which were much more sophisticated, well written and intelligent.

Now that I edge closer to 30 I find myself drawn to stuff that I enjoyed when I was a kid, and to the stuff that I never got the chance to enjoy.  Thanks to Amazon used copies of all these books can be found for pennies, and I've been snatching them up like nobody's business.

So, I thought I would talk about a few of the long lost series that most people probably don't remember.  Fear Street was probably the most popular, and there are whole blogs devoted to those books.  This is for those series that people may have enjoyed when they were growing up, but probably don't even remember now.

SO!  Let's kick things off with one of the more shocking series from that era.

TERROR ACADEMY

Terror Academy was a series written by Nicholas Pine (although it is unknown if every book was written by this author.  Ghost writers were used for a lot of long running series).  The series lasted sixteen books, and most, if not all, tended to follow a basic slasher film plot (a few had fantasy or sci-fi elements).  As was the style at the time, most of the books feature a female lead, and are told in the third person (unlike today, where most YA books are written in first person).

What makes these books shocking is just how inappropriate they are.  Wonderfully inappropriate.

The most noticeable thing is the sheer amount of sexual assault in these books.  Yes, you read that right.  Sexual assault.  I have read five of these books in the past couple weeks, and all but one of them has had the lead character (always female) nearly get sexually assaulted by her boyfriend or the bad guy... or someone.  One of the books, The Prom, actually has an implied rape as the major catalyst behind why the local teens are getting killed off.  Yep, a young adult rape revenge novel.

I guess to offset the sheer horror at the regular near sexual assault in all these books Mr. Pine decided to make his female leads as strong as possible.  The females in this series do not just scream and wait for a man to save them.  Oh no!  They beat the ever living hell out of their attackers.  Using their teeth, hands, cars and in one case a flock of hungry birds to deal with their over aggressive male counterparts. In the book School Spirit our lead (named Cindy Prescott no less) deals with her attacker by driving off with him hanging out of the passenger's side door of her mini van, then proceeds to drive up onto a lawn, and run him into a metal pole.  The women of Terror Academy are fighters, that's for sure, and the men... are idiots.

It is interesting to note how old fashioned the view of sex is in these novels.  The guys always want it, the girls never want, and the guys will use force if necessary to get it.  The one time I believe a character does have sex, in the hilariously offensive Science Project, the girl ends up knocked up, then knocked off by her psychotic baby daddy.

What isn't old fashioned is the confused sexual politics on these novels.  The leads, who are always female, never have the expectation of being a stay at home mom, or a dutiful wife.  No, these women are striving for college and careers.  If they aren't, they are expected to.  Never in any of these books do these women talk about "settling down".  Pair that with the oddly brutish view of sex and gender roles from the male characters, and you get... a headache.

The second thing is how extremely gory these books are.  People are decapitated, eviscerated, mauled, chopped, smashed, shot, impaled, electrocuted, crushed, sliced, diced and minced.  This is not one of those series where someone looks dead and then it turns out they are a messy eater and are covered in ketchup.  No, in this series the bad guys (and good guys) die, and die horribly.  One book, Spring Break even takes it's plot from The Hills Have Eyes, having a family face off against a gang of blood thirsty, psychotic mountain men.

Yet as horribly inappropriate as the violence and attempted rape are, these books are VERY tame in one regard.  Language.  While most young adult books from the era kept their language fairly tame, they would still occasionally use words such as bitch, damn, hell or ass.  They would use appropriate strong language when needed.  Not these books.  Nicholas Pine writes these characters as if they were straight out of a 1950's teenage delinquent film, and this causes some very awkward, and hilarious insults, such as people calling each other trash boy or ridiculous names like "Sand Face" for a character named Sandy.

Still, all that aside, the books are impossible to put down.  They aren't horribly written, and they move quickly.  Top it all off with a real flare for the over the top and tasteless, and the books are pure winners... just not for their intended audiences.

For the sheer level of insanity on display in this series, I have to declare this probably one of my favorites from the long lost and forgotten 90's YA horror craze.

Still, these weren't the most inappropriate or violent books to grace the YA bookshelves back in the 90's.  In the next Blast from the Past entry I'll be talking about one very awesome, very short lived, and very hard to find series that any and every horror fan should check out.

Movie Review: No One Lives

I went into No One Lives with mixed to low expectations.  Most reviews ripped the movie to shreds, although a few had made it sound like an over the top, blood soaked fun ride.  So, I settled in for what I believed was going to be a non-stop, action packed stalk and slash movie.

What I got was something completely different, and honestly, not all that enjoyable. 

The basic plot is this: "Driver" (Luke Evans) and his lady love Betty (Laura Ramsey) are on the road together.  They seem like a normal, albeit very serious, couple.  They stop to grab a bite to eat, and find themselves being harassed by a biker gang, lead by Hoag (Lee Tergesen).  It isn't until after the group has kidnapped Driver and Betty that they find out that Driver isn't all he seems to be.  In fact (and the previews give this away) Driver is a very talented serial killer/psychopath who has a young woman (Silent Hill Revelations Adelaide Clemens) locked up in his trunk, and a small arsenal hidden away in the trailer he has hitched to his car.   

No One Lives is an odd duck.  The first twenty minutes of the film are loaded to the brim with stiff, too serious dialogue and borderline ridiculous attempts at character work. All of the scenes between Driver and Betty are painful to watch, with both actors delivering their lines in dull, deadpan seriousness.  The dialogue is so unnatural and theatrical that it draws the audience right out of the film. 

I am going to be completely honest.  The beginning of this movie is painful. Even a very brutal scene involving a whole family being offed feels off kilter with some of the characters throwing out dialogue that can only be described as low rent Shakespeare. 

Once Driver and his girlfriend are kidnapped things pick up, and yet... they don't. 

For as violent and bombastic as the film is, it never really seems to kick into high gear. There is no tension, no urgency.  The majority of the characters are so unlikeable that most won't care if they live or die. It is also obvious who is going to die, and when.  There is no surprises.  The whole thing is just on autopilot.

Then there is Luke Evans' performance.  He isn't bad, but holy crap is he dull.  He has a few moments where he shines through, giving the character a little evil, playful glint in his eye, but for the majority of the film he comes off as stiff, and even worse, bored. 

Also, as violent as this movie is, it never seems to go far enough.  Don't get me wrong, there is blood, but after watching films like the Evil Dead remake, this movie seems almost tame.  Most of the kills are pretty straight forward, and the few over the top set pieces are actually fairly restrained with the nastiest bits happening off screen.  Gore hounds might find themselves disappointed with this one.

The film isn't all bad.  Adelaide Clemens actually turns in a pretty entertaining performance.  While she plays her character detached and shell shocked, she always has a look of mild amusement about her. She's the audiences' eyes through most of the film, and she handles the role of heroin wonderfully, creating a strong and interesting character.  

America Olivio and Lindsey Shaw also turn in two very fun performances, with Olivio playing the hard ass biker mama, and Shaw playing Hoag's daughter.  Both women get to participate in one of the most random, hilarious, and truly awesome cat fights I have ever seen since Charlize Theron and Terri Hatcher threw down in 2 Days in the Valley.   That scene alone almost makes the movie worth seeing.  Almost.

Still, No One Lives feels like a total missed opportunity.  Too much of the film plays it safe, and even when it does start to go over the top, it ends up pulling it's punches.  Skip this one.

Instead of No One Lives check out:
The Collection
Versus
Evil Dead (2013)

The Darkness

I jokingly say I should stop reading the news.  Every day it's a different story about people being killed, political unrest.  The news has turned into a stream of uncontrollable hate seems to be overtaking our world. I spend most of my time looking for a human interest story.  Something that makes me smile, or restores my faith in humanity. 

When we live in a world where three teenagers gun down a young man because they just wanted to kill someone, you need something to make you smile, to give you hope, to make you realize that the world is not full of hate and anger and pain.  That, while we focus on the suffering and the violence, there are still good people out there. 

Recently I read a blog called Single Dad Laughing.  I had been directed there because of this post.  I have to tell you, I have never felt so moved in my life.  Seriously, go there, read that post, and just let it sink in.  Let his message just settle into your brain, and then go over it again. 

If you are too busy to read the article, then let me sum up the general idea.  Love people.  Love everyone.  Love them because they are who they are, and they have struggled, and they have made mistakes, and they may not be your idea of what a person should be.  Love them. 

Don't just love them, but give a damn about them.  Give a damn about how your words effect them.  Give a damn about how shutting someone out, ignoring someone because they are that ever present, ever feared and loathed "other", can crush that person. 

The post on his blog touched me enough that I felt like I had to share it.  Seriously, check out his blog.  There are other amazing posts in there.  There are other amazing stories. 

So, now it's time for my own little moment here.  My message for you.  A message we can all strive to live by. Do not just try to be good.  Try to do good.  Do not just try to do good.  Do good.  Be a light in a world that seems to grow darker every day.  Be the hope for someone else.  Do not do it to be looked up to.  Do not do it to be respected, or well liked.  Do it because you want to.  Do it because you strive to make this world a better place not just for yourself, or those you love, but for everyone. We will not always succeed.  I will not always succeed.  Still, even if the goal cannot be reached, it should be in the back of your mind at all times. 

If you fail, and you will fail, just as I will fail, do not give up.  We are human.  We have emotions that we don't always have control over.  The best thing you can do is to see a failure as something to push you forward.  A failure should not stop you.  It should motivate you.  It should light a fire under you, or inside of you. 

Instead of letting the darkness stop you, you should strive to stop the darkness.  We won't win the war, but dammit, in this one situation the battle is more important then the war.

Writer's Block

I have been sitting here, staring at the computer, wondering what exactly to write.  I have ideas, some about my own past, and my pending ten year high school reunion.  Other thoughts go towards the Pope, and the simple sentence he spoke that has the chance to change one of the most powerful churches in the world. 

I have all these ideas, and I swear to God, in my head they are all amazingly deep and thoughtful.  The problem is, the second I try and type them out, to make them form, they stumble and stutter and die horribly. 

I think that is one of my greatest problems.  There is a gap between my brain and my hands, and sometimes my mouth.  In my mind I may have formed a wonderful argument about something, and yet once I try to bring that argument out of my brain and into the world, it shrivels up and bursts into flames, like a vampire in sunlight (and no, it does not sparkle...). 

This isn't always the issue.  There are days where I have somehow managed to temporarily bridge that gap, and can express myself with ease.  I love those days.  Those days are the ones where I feel most calm, most relaxed.  I don't worry about what I'm saying sounding "right".  I just know that they will, and that people will understand me. 

Then there are days like today. 

Today my brain has decided it doesn't want to put forth the effort to push my ideas out, and into the world.  It doesn't see the point in sharing.  On days like today my head just doesn't have the energy.  Then those memories and ideas and thoughts and arguments start to back up.  My whole brain gets stopped up. 

These are the days that lead to migraines. 

What I wouldn't give for a creative team...

I love working on my own projects.  I truly do.  There is nothing more fulfilling then finishing a project you have started.  Completing something that you have worked hard t

Still, I do wish I had a creative team that I could work with.  I do have creative friends, and one of my best friends and I have started more projects then I could count.  Outside the two of us, our potential creative partners have been on the flakey side...

Nothing can cause a project to collapse faster then the creator, in this case me, being overloaded by the sheer scope of the project.

The reason I bring this up is because I'm working on my second game now, and I'm finding that it is growing bigger and bigger every time I continue to work on it.  Alternate Lives had started as a short side game, and now has started to become something much larger, and much more complex then even I had expected.

That's not to say I'm giving up.  I'm chugging along, trying my best to get everything done.

Still, I am going to put this out there.  If there is anyone who is interested in possibly trying their hand at making a visual novel, hit me up.  Not saying that it would be an instant yes, but I'm starting to realize that sometimes you need to just put it out there, and see if maybe, just maybe, you find a few more people that can match you creatively.

So, writers, artists, programers, anyone who has thought "Hey, maybe I could do that,"  send me an email at rstringini@gmail.com .

Keep On Trucking

Life can suck sometimes. Not just quick little bouts of suck, but long stretches of mind numbing, soul crushing suck. 

Well, it ends. At some point that struggle goes away, if only for a brief moment. It may not even be something major that makes you smile. A joke, a small moment of peace, a day of perfect weather. 

Cherish those moments. They may seem few and far between, but those are the moments that make life worth it. 

Why am I writing this today? Cuz I know that sometimes life just seems like a swirling black hole of depression. People keep telling you that it gets better, but it never seems like it will. 

Trust me, it does. It may not last, but if you make the choice to focus on the positive, on those smiles that seem to jump from your lips unexpectedly, it suddenly doesn't all seem that bad. 

If you chose to focus on the suck, then the world will reflect that. If you, instead, focus on those "perfect" moments, the world will seem brighter. 

Here's a challenge. When you read the news find one human interest story. Find one story that shows that there is good in the world, and focus on that. Even in the darkness that seems to consume us, there will always be one little glimmer of light. The more you focus on that light, the more you try, in your own life, to make it brighter, the more it will grow. 

The Danger of Labels

I'm a Glee fan.  I've loved the show since it's first episode. 

Recently, one of it's lead actors passed away.  This is not about him.  This is about the comments made about his death.  This is about how people seem to lack all human kindness when they have the veil of secrecy that the internet allows. 

I will be honest.  I have seen addiction in many shapes and forms.  I've experienced it myself.  I have had the chance to talk to people trying to get sober, to see people struggling with drug addiction.  It is not simple, it is not easy.  It is frustrating, heart breaking.  It will make you angry, make you lash out.  It is a painful process that, in most cases, will need to be repeated multiple times, wearing you down more and more the longer it continues.  It is destructive and devastating.

It is not simple.  If the comments have shown me anything, they have shown me that people truly do not understand addiction.  They don't understand the driving need, the fear, the anguish.  They don't understand how the addict suffers, how their family and friends suffer. 

You cannot tell an addict to stop, and just expect them to stop.  There is more to it then just getting high.  The addiction is the surface of something much darker, much more damaged.  The drugs, the alcohol, the sex, the gambling... they are all a symptom.  They are a piece of a greater problem. 

When we live in a world where people just dismiss someone's death because they possibly died of a drug overdose, we live in a world that refuses to understand other's pain and suffering.  I know it isn't easy.  When we look at someone who dies of something like a drug overdose, we only see the self-inflicted destructive behavior.  We simplify it.  We replace the human with a pre-defined role.  We ignore the life, and focus only on the method of death.  In the case of the young actor, we assume, because of his history, that he died of a drug overdose, and pass judgment before the autopsy report has even been signed.  He had struggled with addiction in the past, so it had to be a drug overdose, right?

Does it matter?  Does it really matter that he had struggled with drugs?  Does that reflect on how he treated his friends and family?  Does that reflect on how he stepped up and spoke out for causes that he believed in?  Does it matter?  Does it?  When you answer that question, think about that answer.  What does that answer say about you?  Do you ignore the good, and focus only on the negative? 

Thinking about this makes me want to shake someone.  It makes me want to reach out, grip someone by the shoulders and shake them.  When did it become so acceptable to care so little, to feel so little?  When did it become fun to be cruel?  I look at this world, and listen and read what it has to say, and I lose faith.  I lose hope.  I'm ashamed because I have done exactly what angers me.  I have disappointed myself because I have allowed the cruelness that has invaded the human race to infect me as well, but I refuse to let it take hold.   

A part of my journey as I've gotten older is to try and understand.  Empathy is not easy.  You have to look past all the pre-conceived ideas of what a person's label means.  A "thug", a "drug addict", a "porn star", a "beggar".  Whatever they are, the important piece of who they are is that they are human.  They are a son or daughter, a brother or sister, a mother or father.  To someone they could be a lover, a friend, a co-worker. They have gone on their own journey through life, and they have had their own experiences that have shaped them as a person.  We don't attempt to understand, we just say a quick, snarky comment and move on. 

When the world becomes so dismissive to the pain of others, it loses its ability to empathize.  It loses the one thing that can make us better.  What are we without empathy? 

We are sociopaths.